|
Arrival of Raditz
The Vegeta Saga begins five years after the events depicted at the end of Dragon Ball. A reunion at the Kame House reunites Goku with his old master, Master Roshi, and his friends Krillin and Bulma, who haven't seen each other in five years. Goku surprises everyone by bringing along his four-year old son, Gohan. Unfortunately, the reunion is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a mysterious being, who identifies himself as a Saiyan by the name of Raditz. Raditz identifies Goku as Kakarot (Goku's Saiyan name) and berates him for not completing his "mission". Further complicating matters, Raditz also claims that Goku is from the same Saiyan race as he is, and that he and Goku are in fact brothers. Goku and Krillin understandably think that Raditz is nuts, however Roshi reveals that there may be some truth to the Saiyan's words. In a major turning point in the series, Master Roshi reveals that Goku's adopted grandfather, Grandpa Gohan, found a strange space capsule in the woods containing a baby, who he named Goku. As a baby, Goku was violent and ill-tempered, though one day he fell down a ravine and suffered severe head trauma, which in turn changed Goku into the happy, amicable child that everyone came to know and love.
This new revelation shocks Goku, who refuses to believe its validity. Raditz then goes on to state that Goku's original purpose was to destroy all life on Earth, which he(Goku) should have done in a matter of years after his arrival. Raditz also reveals that the Saiyans' original home planet, Planet Vegeta, was destroyed by an asteroid some twenty years earlier, and that there are only four Saiyans left, including Goku. Finally, Raditz mentions that he needs his brother's help in destroying all life on a distant planet. Goku refuses, which prompts Raditz to notice Gohan (who was born with a tail, as is typical of Saiyans), which leads Raditz to threaten the fate of the child. Goku tries to attack, but is quickly stopped by Raditz, who then kidnaps Gohan, and gives Goku an ultimatum; Raditz will kill Gohan unless Goku kills one hundred humans within the next twenty-four hours. With that, Raditz flies off. Goku is clearly distressed at his situation, and vows to rescue his son; Krillin and Master Roshi offer to help him fight. Before they can depart, however, he is confronted by his nemesis Piccolo. Piccolo encountered Raditz after Raditz had first arrived on Earth, and was terrified by his raw power. Aware that they now have a common enemy, Piccolo suggests that he and Goku join forces to confront Raditz, which Goku hesitatingly agrees to. Bulma offers up her Dragon Radar which detects Dragon Balls so that Piccolo and Goku can track the 4-star Dragon Ball that was part of the design of Gohan's hat, and subsequently find his location.
Meanwhile, Raditz arrives at his spaceship and locks the crying Gohan inside. Through the use of his scouter which detects the presence of power levels,Raditz discovers that two fighters are approaching; as they get closer it is revealed that they are Piccolo and Goku. The duo face-off against Raditz, however they find that there is little they can do against the more powerful Saiyan. Raditz gains the upperhand and soars into the air, firing dual ki blasts out of his hands at Goku and Piccolo. Goku is able to dodge his, however Piccolo loses his arm. Piccolo, reveals that he has been holding back a new technique that he designed to kill Goku, however he decides that he'll use it against Raditz. In order to give Piccolo time to charge the attack, Goku distracts Raditz with his own Kamehameha. Raditz is astonished that the two fighters can concentrate their power into more powerful attacks, however he manages to neutralize the Kamehameha, and then takes care of Goku with a blast of his own. Fortunately, this was all the time Piccolo needed, and he fires his new attack, the Special Beam Cannon. Despite the power of the blast, however, Raditz side-steps it. Goku takes advantage of the distracted Raditz and grabs his tail, which Goku remembers as being one of his own weaknesses as a child. Raditz is rendered helpless, however he appeals to his brother to let him go if he promises to leave the planet, which Goku does, much to Piccolo's chagrin. Raditz predictably double-crosses his brother, and pins him down, breaking bones and causing Goku much pain. At that moment, Raditz's spacepod explodes.
Gohan, who had been watching helplessly from inside Raditz's pod, manages to blow the thing apart upon hearing his father's screams. Raditz's scouter detects the child's power level to be 1,307, substantially higher than that of his father and Piccolo. The infuriated Gohan charges at Raditz, who is unable to react in time, and receives a swift head-butt to the chest, breaking his Saiyan Armor. Gohan's power level soon drops back to 1; and Raditz realizes that Gohan's power is affected by his emotions. Raditz quickly smacks Gohan aside, but is still physically hurt by the previous attack. Goku, using what little strength he has left, leaps up and locks Raditz in a full nelson. Raditz is unable to break free, and Goku tells Piccolo to try his attack again. Piccolo does not hesitate to comply, knowing that the beam will kill Goku as well; though he knows that Goku's friends will most likely use the Dragon Balls to resurrect him, he is nonetheless satisfied with killing his archenemy. He fires off another Special Beam Cannon, and Raditz, held by Goku, is unable to dodge it again, and the beam penetrates through both Raditz and Goku, mortally wounding both of them. Raditz curses Piccolo, but commends his brother's spirit. Piccolo informs Raditz that Goku will be wished back to life using the Dragon Balls. Raditz, with his dying breath, retorts by saying that the scouter on his head acts as a transmitter as well, and that the other two Saiyans will come to Earth and avenge his death. Piccolo, upset at Raditz's comments, delivers the final deathblow to him.
In space, the known remaining two Saiyans, Nappa and Vegeta, get word of Raditz's death by the message transmitted to their scouters. Vegeta is intrigued by the Dragon Balls, and they decide to head to Earth to use them to wish for immortality (rather than wishing Raditz back to life, as Raditz had hoped).
Back on Earth, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Bulma arrive at the scene, and Krillin mourns the death of his friend. Just as Goku dies, however, his body vanishes. Piccolo takes that to mean that the Guardian of Earth, Kami, has plans for Goku in the Other World. Piccolo then surprisingly regenerates his arm, tells the others of the impending arrival of two more powerful Saiyans, and picks up the unconscious Gohan, with the intention of training the child to fight the Saiyans. The others protest, but can do nothing to stop Piccolo.
Saiyan Training
In the Other World, Kami brings Goku to King Yemma, to ask permission for Goku to travel down the Snake Way with the intention of training with the Lord of Worlds, King Kai. Goku asks if Raditz came here as well, and is surprised when Yemma sent him to hell without too much trouble. Yemma also grants this request, and Goku begins his long and perilous journey down the hundred-thousand kilometer Snake Way.
Kami also makes a startling revelation; that the previous viciousness of Piccolo is beginning to recede. Because he had noticed that Raditz had been sent to hell instead of spending eternity trapped in limbo as what happens when one gets killed by a demon, he begins to believe that Piccolo's fear of the Saiyans is making him grow a conscience.
On Earth, Gohan wakes up, but to his dismay, he is with Piccolo and his father is nowhere to be found. Piccolo informs the child of his father's death and says that he intends to train Gohan for the impending battle with the Saiyans. Gohan objects, but Piccolo quickly shows him that he does have a great power inside him; but only for brief moments. Piccolo then abandons him, claiming that if Gohan manages to survive for six months alone in the wilderness, the real training would begin. Gohan struggles with being on his own, and after being chased by a dinosaur, manages to get trapped on a cliff by using his hidden strength. With no way of getting down, Gohan settles down for the night after eating apples secretly brought by Piccolo. He awakens in the middle of the night to find a large full moon awaiting him. Gohan remarks about how he's never seen the moon so big. However, upon this revelation, he begins transforming into a Great Ape, the Saiyan equivalent of a giant ape (Kami had revived the moon again after permanently removing Goku's tail in Dragon Ball). Piccolo, who had been watching nearby, is shocked at this new form, and desperately tries to discover the source of the transformation. Needless to say, Great Ape Gohan destroys the mountain he was on and begins rampaging the countryside. Piccolo recalls something Raditz has said about the power of the moon on Saiyans with tails, and realizing that the moon would act as an advantage to the Saiyans, he destroys the moon, instantly causing Gohan to revert to his normal state. Seeing the tail as a weakness, Piccolo removes it from the passed-out Gohan, and gives him a new set of clothes and a sword, before disappearing.
Meanwhile, Kami calls together the strongest fighters on Earth - Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Yajirobe - in order to train them for the arrival of the Saiyans. Six months pass. Gohan is surviving in the desert, and Goku is still running down Snake Way. Piccolo decides that Gohan's survival training is finished, and begins to personally train him. Also, in the anime, the Saiyans destroy Planet Arlia on their way to Earth.
Goku finally reaches the end of the Snake Way, and discovers a small planet "in orbit" above him. He leaps to the planet, but immediately discovers that due to its diminutive size, the planet has heavy gravity. After struggling to walk around the planet, Goku meets King Kai and his pet monkey, Bubbles. With only 88 days left before the Saiyans arrive, King Kai instructs Goku to chase and ultimately catch Bubbles, in order for Goku to become adjusted to the gravity. It takes Goku some time to accomplish this feat, but he does so in about two months. Also, in the Anime, Goku must hit a cricket named Gregory on the head with a hammer. King Kai then begins to instruct Goku on his two signature techniques: the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb. Goku masters these techniques within a day of the Saiyan's arrival on Earth. Unfortunately, King Kai realizes that even though Goku's friends can wish Goku back to life, Goku still has to run all the way down Snake Way to get back to Earth. Goku, in a panic, telepathically instructs Master Roshi back on Earth to resurrect him. Master Roshi complies, having gathered the Dragon Balls over the past year, and summons Shenron, the Eternal Dragon of the Dragon Balls, and asks the Dragon to bring Goku back to life. The Dragon complies, Goku returns to life in the Other World, and immediately flies at top speed down the Snake Way. Then, one day later, the Saiyans arrive.
Battle Against the Saiyans
Upon their arrival, the Saiyans Nappa and Vegeta immediately destroy the city they landed in. Vegeta, wanting to find the Dragon Balls, uses his scouter to determine the location of the strongest warrior on the planet, whom he presumes to be the one who killed Raditz. They head off towards Piccolo and Gohan. Piccolo and Gohan sense the incoming powers, as well as several smaller ones, who turn out to be Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. The Saiyans arrive. When Krillin arrives, Nappa recognizes Piccolo as being a Namekian. Nappa and Vegeta also reveal that they came to Earth to use the Dragon Balls for immortality, not to avenge Raditz's death. This revelation about his true origin shocks Piccolo for a while, with Kami also realizing that his creating the Dragon Balls was some kind of racial memory from his Namekian heritage. Nappa decides to let Saibamen beat up the fighters first, and plants seeds in the ground, which sprout and become six small green aliens. Tien fights one first, and easily beats it. Upon seeing this, Vegeta deduces that the fighters are concealing their power and easily destroys the defenseless Saibaman for its incompetence. Yamcha goes after another Saibaman, and seemingly defeats it with a Kamehameha. However, it instantly stands up again and latches on to him and self-destructs, killing both of them. An enraged Krillin snaps and launches a devastating Expanding Energy Wave blast that splits off into six separate blasts, one for each remaining Saibaman and one for each of the two Saiyans.
The blast manages to kill three Saibamen immediately, Piccolo destroys one that hid from the blast and tried to attack Gohan. Vegeta and Nappa also survive the blast unscathed. In the anime, Vegeta tells Nappa not to kill Piccolo, as that would probably cease the Namek from revealing the location of the Dragon Balls as well (they are under the belief that he is the only one who knows of the Dragon Balls). Nappa goes on the offensive, powering up a great deal and choosing Tien at random to attack. He actually knocks off Tien's arm, causing him extreme pain. Krillin tries to rescue his friend, but Nappa stops him by firing at powerful attack directly in his path towards Tien. Nappa, distracted, fails to notice Chiaotzu coming up behind him. Chiaotzu attaches onto Nappa and self-destructs and dies, much to Tien's dismay. When the smoke clears, Nappa remains, with little harm to him.
Tien, enraged, goes into an all-out attack against Nappa, who blocks all his attacks. Piccolo tells the others that once Nappa goes to the offensive, he'll be unguarded, and they'll sneak up and attack which will leave him open for Gohan to injure Nappa.. The plan goes well until Gohan becomes frightened at the last second and runs away. Leaving Piccolo and Krillin the only ones left to continue to fight Nappa, but are no match, even together. Tien, who is barely alive, puts all of his energy into a final attack, a one-handed Tri-beam. Unfortunately, this fails, and Nappa survives with only his armor damaged. Tien, who literally put his life into the attack, dies.
Nappa prepares to to make the kill on all three, however Vegeta, who had remained on the sidelines, halts him. Vegeta has deduced that "Goku" is Kakarot, and wants Nappa to wait three hours for Goku to arrive to provide punishment for the "traitor", while planning to continue the fight afterwards regardless of whether or not Goku is there. Nappa reluctantly agrees, much to the puzzlement of the remaining fighters who recognize that Nappa obeys Vegeta even though Nappa is much larger in stature than the diminutive Vegeta. Goku, who had been flying down Snake Way for two straight days, finally reaches the end of the road. Kami appears to transport Goku back to Earth, and on his way to the battlefield, he receives two Senzu Beans (which allow an individual to recover their strength) from Korin, eats one of them himself to regain his strength, and rides the Flying Nimbus towards the action to conserve energy. Unfortunately, the three hours are up.
The remaining fighters formulate a plan to weaken Nappa by grabbing his tail (which provides a paralyzing effect), as Goku had done with Raditz. This ultimately fails, however, when Nappa reveals that elite Saiyans have learned to overcome the weakness of the tail. He then hits Piccolo on the head when Piccolo learns that it is hopeless. Piccolo is rendered unconscious, and Nappa attacks Gohan and Krillin for a while. Piccolo regains consciousness, and exclaims that Goku is coming. Vegeta's scouter picks up Goku's power level to be 5000, which shock the two Saiyans. Vegeta knows that since the Fighters have the ability to change their power as they see fit, 5000 is most likely the lowest power that Goku is exerting. Vegeta then orders Nappa to kill everyone before Goku arrives, as a team attack might prove to be a disadvantage. When Nappa argues about the Dragon Balls, Vegeta tells Nappa about the existence of Dragon Balls on Piccolo's home planet, Namek. Gohan urges Piccolo to escape as his death would mean the end of the Dragon Balls on Earth and subsequently kicks Nappa in the head, sending him crashing into a cliff wall. However, he only succeeds in making angering Nappa.. The enraged Nappa launches his powerful Bomber DX blast at Gohan, but before it hits, Piccolo jumps in the way and takes the blast full force, killing him. Before his death Piccolo admits with tears in his eyes how he had enjoyed training with Gohan and how his innocence made him soft, leading up to the events of him eventually sacrificing his life for the boy. Up above Earth, Kami vanishes as well, as his being is linked with Piccolo's due to their past history of being one person before splitting. Gohan's rage explodes and he fires his Masenko attack at Nappa, who blocks it. This surprises Vegeta, considering that Gohan's power level upped from a low 981 to 2,800. However, finishing the attack leaves Gohan helpless. Fortunately, Goku arrives just in time.
Goku splits up the remaining Senzu Bean and gives a piece each to Krillin and Gohan. Nappa asks Vegeta what his scouter says about Goku's power level. Vegeta responds that "IT'S OVER 9,000!!!" (which has become a popular internet joke, despite being a mistranslation of the original 8,000), destroying his scouter in a fit of rage. After quickly realizing that everyone else is dead, Goku gets very angry and begins fighting Nappa. Nappa is no match for Goku, and Vegeta orders him to back down. Nappa complies, but decides to take out Krillin and Gohan instead. Goku cannot catch up to Nappa, so he uses the Kaiō-ken technique to ram into Nappa, breaking his back, and rendering him useless. Goku throws Nappa at Vegeta's feet. When Krillin asks him what he did, Goku replies that Kaio-ken utilizes all the potential energy within him and multiplies his reflexes, speed, senses, and power. However, Goku then comments that Kaio-ken's weakness is that it damages his body if multiplied to an extent he can't handle and this might even kill him. Nappa begs for mercy, but Vegeta throws him up into the air, and destroys him with a single concentrated blast. Vegeta then sets his sights on Goku.
Goku tells Vegeta that he wants to fight elsewhere so as to not destroy the bodies of his friends. They head off to a desert, while Gohan and Krillin fly back towards the Kame House. Vegeta attempts to negotiate a deal with Goku, stating that he could have everything he ever wanted if he joined him, but Goku turns him down, stating that he has everything he ever wanted right now and dislikes the "job security" after seeing how Vegeta had mercilessly killed Nappa. Goku and Vegeta begin to fight, and appear to be evenly matched. Vegeta tells Goku to release his hidden power, to which Goku complies. He engages the Kaio-ken, however Vegeta manages to defend against it. Vegeta powers up a great deal himself, and Goku uses the Kaio-ken x2, however, he still is not a match for Vegeta. Finally, Goku concentrates all of his energy into a Kaio-ken x3, raising his power level to 24,000, which worries King Kai. In this form, Goku gains the upperhand, and forces Vegeta to use one of his signature attacks. Flying straight up into the air, Vegeta powers up and unleashes his Galick Gun at Goku and the earth. Unable to move for fear of letting the blast hit the earth, Goku charges up to Kaio-ken x3 again and launches his own Kamehameha at Vegeta. The two blasts collide intensely, and Goku finally gains the upper hand by stepping up his Kaio-ken to x4. The Kamehameha overpowers Vegeta, who goes flying into the air. However, this leaves Goku's body devastated.
Yajirobe, who had been hiding nearby the entire time, comes out to congratulate Goku, however when Goku says Vegeta isn't defeated, he quickly hides again. Up in the air, Vegeta is enraged that Goku was able to surpass him and decides to transform into an Great Ape, however he discovers that the moon is gone. He flies back down to the ground and creates a Power Ball, that simulates a small moon at the cost of a significant amount of Ki. Vegeta then transforms into a Great Ape, however, unlike Goku or Gohan, he is able to remain in control of his body. Vegeta states that when a Saiyan transforms into a Great Ape, it multiplies their power ten-fold, and thus attacks Goku mercilessly. During this time, a shocked Goku has an extended flashback of his adoptive grandfather warning him of a monster outside during a full moon, Kami contemplating cutting his tail off, and finally of himself as a Great Ape destroying both Emperor Pilaf's castle and the stadium at the World Martial Arts Tournament, realizing that he was the one who destroyed both and crushed his grandpa to death. Goku manages to blind Vegeta with a Solar Flare (an attack used to blind an opponent) and then attempts to create a Spirit Bomb, however Vegeta discovers it and shoots a Mouth Blast at him, causing him to lose most of the Spirit Bomb energy. Then he crushes Goku's legs, leaving him paralyzed and unable to fight, and proceeds to crush him in his gigantic hands. Gohan and Krillin notice the strange power ball and rush back to aid Goku.
Upon arriving, Gohan distracts Vegeta while Krillin uses his Destructo Disc attack to try and cut off Vegeta's tail which would return him to humanoid form. Vegeta senses the attack, however, and dodges it. Yajirobe, however, proves himself to be useful by cutting off Vegeta's tail himself. Vegeta reverts to normal, and is upset. Vegeta decides to attack Gohan, however Krillin intervenes, but is quickly disposed of. Goku calls Krillin over to him, and tells Gohan to fight Vegeta. Gohan holds his own, but is clearly outclassed. Goku hands off the remaining energy he gathered in forming the Spirit Bomb to Krillin, and King Kai tells him telepathically to throw the Spirit Bomb at Vegeta when the moment is right. Vegeta backs Gohan into a corner, and Krillin is about to throw it, however Yajirobe yells at Krillin for waiting so long. Vegeta hears this and manages to avoid the Spirit Bomb, and it heads right towards Gohan. Goku telepathically yells for Gohan to bounce it off, since the ball can't hurt those who are pure of heart. Gohan succeeds, and sends the ball hurling back at Vegeta, who, having just evaded it once, has no time to react a second time. The ball hits him squarely and he goes flying up into the air yet again.
Gohan and Krillin gather around the paralyzed Goku. Suddenly, Vegeta's body falls from the sky. Krillin comments that he's dead, however Vegeta is indeed still alive, albeit with power greatly diminished. Vegeta attempts to defeat everyone with a giant energy explosion, but it does little and only leaves him drained. He goes after Gohan when he realizes to his horror that Gohan's tail has grown back. Fearing what would happen if Gohan were to look at the Power Ball he created, Vegeta attempts to chop off Gohan's tail. Yajirobe attacks the Saiyan with his sword, but this only distracts Vegeta for a moment, and Vegeta lashes out at the cowardly Yajirobe, knocking him into some mountains. Goku, telepathically, tells Gohan to look at the sky, which Gohan does, much to Vegeta's dismay. Gohan transforms into a Great Ape, and, while initially attacking everything, begins to concentrate only on Vegeta with his father's voice. After a beating from Great Ape Gohan, Vegeta manages to cut off Gohan's tail with a Destructo Disc, however he has no energy left to move out of the way of the de-transforming and falling ape, and is crushed by Gohan. When the dust clears, Krillin is the only one left capable of moving, grabs Yajirobe's sword that he dropped earlier, and staggers over to Vegeta, determined to stop him. Vegeta, barely alive, calls for his ship using a hidden remote, however Krillin gets to him before it arrives. Krillin is just about to kill Vegeta, when Goku telepathically tells Krillin to spare him. In an emotional scene, Goku convinces Krillin to let Vegeta live because he had never fought someone so strong and this made him more excited than scared. Because of this Goku wanted to rematch with him someday; he also expressed a belief that Vegeta may learn mercy and reform as Piccolo had. Though understandably skeptical, Krillin ultimately decides to trust Goku's judgment and lets Vegeta go. Vegeta vows to make Goku regret sparing him before he departs.Source:
http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Saiyan_Saga
Information was modified by this website and is free for distribution under the GNU Free Documentation License. http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html
http://www.wikia.com/wiki/Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License
The
Namek Saga is the second saga from the anime series, Dragon Ball Z. Its
name is derived from the story arc revolving around the homeworld of
the creatures on Earth believed to be demons, such as Kami and King
Piccolo. It covers the trip and arrival to Planet Namek, a fictional
planet from the series, by Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan. The saga also
covers the battles the Earth warriors and Vegeta face against Zarbon
and Dodoria, Frieza's top two henchmen. Nearing the end of the chapter,
it covers the arrival of Goku on Planet Namek to aid his allies and the
beginning of the fight against the Ginyu Force.
The Namek Saga follows the Vegeta Saga and precedes the Captain Ginyu Saga. This saga originally aired in Japan in 1990.
After the epic battle with the Saiyans, and as Krillin limps back towards Goku, a ship arrives with Chi-Chi, Master Roshi, and others. Goku is carried into the ship, and the group somberly heads off the gather the bodies of those who died. After doing so, Krillin comments on it being possible to revive everyone with another set of Dragon Balls on the Planet Namek, Piccolo's home planet (Krillin overheard the conversation between Vegeta and Nappa about the existence of the Namekian Dragon Balls). However, King Kai telepathically informs them a cataclysm had occurred there long ago and now there were only about 100 Namekians left in total.
Bulma determines that it's possible to use engines from one of the Saiyan spacecrafts to travel to the planet, but in an attempt to bring the space pod to them, she blew it up. It seemed as if all hope was lost, until Mr Popo appeared and said Kami had told him of a ship that might be able to take them to Namek (it was used by Kami long ago to escape the cataclysm on Namek). Mr. Popo and Bulma go and check it out, and they realize that it is capable of the trip. They make their way back to the hospital and find that Krillin and Gohan are willing to go. So after a short trip to Kame Island, Bulma, Gohan, and Krillin set off to a trip to Namek. They suffer some delays on their way to Planet Namek, including finding an invisible spaceship full of orphaned kids, and getting stuck in a fake Planet Namek.
Vegeta, after being seriously injured in his fight with Goku and the others, returns to Frieza Planet #79 to regenerate himself using a special medical tank. After fully recovering, Vegeta feels stronger than ever, as Saiyans have the unique ability to reach higher power levels after healing from near death experiences. His self proclaimed rival, Cui, informs Vegeta that his former boss, Frieza, was initially angry at Vegeta going to Earth and violating orders but decided to forgive him when he overheard the conversation between he and Nappa about the Dragon Balls on Namek. (The scouters also served as a transmitter, which Frieza used to overhear their conversation) Furious about the consequences of Frieza being immortal, Vegeta rushes to Namek himself, now openly declaring himself an enemy of Frieza.
War on Namek
Soon, Vegeta, Frieza, and our heroes all arrive on Namek with the seven Dragon Balls on their minds. There is one Dragon Ball per Namek village, each protected by the village elder. Obtaining them proves all too easy for Frieza who, with the help of his top two henchmen, Zarbon and Dodoria, gather four balls. As they go from one Namekian village to another, Zarbon and Dodoria butcher the Namekians until they locate the Dragon Ball. Cui has also followed Vegeta to Namek and searches the planet for his rival. Cui, still thinking that Vegeta's power level is lower than his, follows Vegeta to Namek and tries to wipe out Vegeta on orders from Frieza. However, Vegeta shows Cui his true strength before eliminating him. Vegeta's power, which had risen from 18,000 to 24,000 because of his near-death confrontation on Earth, is noted by Zarbon and Dodoria in the distance, who were following his battle with their scouters.
Back on Earth, Yajirobe visits Goku in the hospital and gives him a Senzu Bean, instantly healing Goku and restoring his strength. Goku immediately flys off, surprising all the doctors and nurses with his immediate recovery. Goku then goes to the Capsule Corporation to find that Dr. Brief has built a special ship from parts of the Saiyan spaceship Goku had travelled in when he was a baby. He is also able to train at various levels of gravity from one to one hundred times Earth's gravity using an anti-gravity machine that Dr. Brief built inside the ship at Goku's request. Knowing that his friends are in danger and wasting no more time, Goku then takes off for Planet Namek to set things straight and hoping to arrive in six days.
During this time, Frieza locates another Namekian village in order to obtain its Dragon Ball. Gohan and Krillin sneak up while hiding their power levels, and watch with horror as the entire village is slaughtered easily by Zarbon and Dodoria, except for one remaining Namekian child, Dende. After all the Namekian warriors, elderly, and children have been eliminated, Moori, the village leader, manages to destroy all the scouters used by Frieza and his crew, knowing that they cannot locate Namekian battle powers anymore and won't be able to track down the remaining Dragon Balls. However, Moori is also executed and as Dodoria is about to kill Dende, Gohan reveals his presence and interrupts him in a fit of rage, kicking Dodoria into a wall and running away with the Namekian child and Krillin.
Dodoria is ordered to pursue the fleeing heroes. After blasting the entire area where he believes Krillin, Gohan, and Dende are hiding, Dodoria assumes he has exterminated them and turns back in order to return to Frieza. However, As Dodoria is trying to find his way back to the Namekian village, he is confronted by Vegeta, whose increased strength allows him to easily hold a grip on Dodoria. In a desperate attempt to save his life, Dodoria tells Vegeta about the Saiyan planet and its destruction at the hands of Frieza in exchange for Vegeta's promise to spare his life. Vegeta then scoffs, saying that he never cared about his family or Planet Vegeta and executes Dodoria ruthlessly. Vegeta is overjoyed at recent events; he knows that without scouters, Frieza will have a much harder time finding Namekian villages. Vegeta then rushes to a Namekian village with his newly acquired skills from Earth, the ability to detect ki and the ability to hide his power as he sees fit. After Vegeta locates a village that had not yet been raided by Frieza and his henchmen, he is able to obtain a Dragon Ball after slaughtering all of the villagers himself. Through some clever thinking, Vegeta throws the Dragon Ball underwater, intending to come back for it later. As long as Frieza is unable to obtain one Dragon Ball, he will not be able to summon the Dragon. Meanwhile, Gohan and Krillin bring the young Namekian Dende to their hiding spot. Bulma awaits them in a capsule house and is surprised to see Dende. After a meal, Dende explains to them that there is a Dragon Ball kept safe with Guru (The Great Elder). However, Guru is far away and it would take quite some time to get to him. Krillin takes a big chance and goes alone with Dende in order to retrieve the Dragon Ball from Guru. This leaves Gohan to temporarily fend for himself. Meanwhile, Vegeta suspects that the Earthlings are also on Namek because Dodoria had told him about them prior to being slain.
Vegeta takes on Zarbon
Zarbon stands waiting for Dodoria's return and remarks that Dodoria should have been back by now. Dodoria has not returned and Frieza becomes impatient. He demands that Zarbon search planet Namek for more villages. He wants the Dragon Balls so his wish for immortality can come true. Zarbon is sent to locate another Namekian village. Meanwhile, Piccolo, Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu have all arrived at King Kai's planet for special training; supposedly the same training that Goku received prior. They telepathically communicate with Goku to tell him of their arrival and Goku tells them that the situation is worse as there's even more evil warriors on Namek, more powerful than Vegeta. King Kai suspects that something is wrong and checks to see that Frieza is truly on Namek. He then proceeds to warn Goku to never go near Frieza, fearfully telling him that Frieza is the most powerful entity in their quadrant of the universe.
Vegeta detects a powerful force which happens to be Zarbon. Vegeta doesn't fare as well when he comes face to face with Frieza's right-hand man and his most powerful henchman, Zarbon. After Zarbon and Vegeta wage war for a few minutes with Vegeta once again easily dominating his opponent, Zarbon warns Vegeta of his ability to transform. Vegeta welcomes this challenge, not fully comprehending its consequences. Zarbon transforms into a hideous reptilian beast, completely surprising Vegeta and showing off his true power. He then proceeds to tear into Vegeta, easily beating him to a pulp with a combination of roundhouse kicks, headbutts, and a devastating piledriver, leaving him for dead. After Vegeta is tossed into the water, Zarbon decides to return to the ship in order to report to Frieza.
Once Zarbon returns to Frieza with his news of victory, he is given orders to bring Vegeta back in order to rejuvenate his energy for interrogation. Apparently, Vegeta had hidden a Dragon Ball, and Frieza needed to get this information out of him. Zarbon locates Vegeta's battered body and brings him to Frieza's ship. Once Vegeta is healed, however, he takes the opportunity to steal Frieza's Dragon Balls and escape Frieza's ship as well by using several decoys to trick the both of them. An extremely angry Frieza orders Zarbon to retrieve Vegeta immediately in an hour or face severe punishment.
Meanwhile, Krillin is taken to Guru, the eldest and leader of the Namekians, who is very ill. It is revealed that if Guru dies, then the Namekian Dragon Balls will be gone forever, therefore threatening the revival of Yamcha, Piccolo, Tien, and Chiaotzu. To make things worse, Guru states that he doesn't have much time to live left.. When Guru puts his hands on Krillin, he realizes that he is good at heart and gives him a Dragon Ball to prevent Frieza and Vegeta from getting their wish, at the very least. He also summons energy and awakens the hidden potential within Krillin, increasing his battle power significantly. Bulma notices that the Dragon Radar is picking up a solitary Dragon Ball in an isolated place (where Vegeta hid it earlier underwater), and has Gohan go retrieve it. However, while returning back to Bulma, Krillin's huge power unfortunately attracts Vegeta, who also notices that Krillin has a Dragon Ball. Zarbon also sees Vegeta in the distance and follows him.
Vegeta arrives as Krillin and Bulma become frightened. Zarbon arrives, demanding that they hand over the Dragon Ball. Bulma quickly finds herself attracted to Zarbon's appearance. However, Zarbon and Vegeta collide in a fearsome clash and Zarbon is forced to transform once again in order to take down Vegeta, leaving Krillin and Bulma to watch in horror. Since a Saiyan's power grows after every brutally grueling near-death battle, Vegeta is able to execute Zarbon in his transformed state by ramming his fist clean through Zarbon's stomach, and blasting him into the air, sending him to a watery grave in the Namekian sea. He then takes Krillin's Dragon Ball and spares the two in his moment of joy, believing that he now has all 7 Dragon Balls. As he goes to pick up the Dragon Ball in the lake, he runs into Gohan, who happened to fool Vegeta and left with the Dragon Ball still in his possession. As Gohan returns, Krillin suggests that they move to a safer location and lower their power in order to avoid being detected by Vegeta.
The Ginyu Force
An extremely angry Vegeta, learning that the Dragon Ball was taken from its hiding spot by Gohan, rushes to the old meeting ground only to discover nobody is there. He then gathers all 6 Dragon Balls and guards them, while also trying to pick up any trace of Gohan's and Krillin's ki. He knows he can't face Frieza just yet, since Frieza's power level is signifigantly higher. The best he can do is wait it out until he is able to detect Krillin and Gohan in order to acquire their Dragon Ball.
Upon learning of Zarbon's demise, and realizing that Vegeta was more than he bargained for, Frieza decides to summon the elite mercenary fighting team known as the Ginyu Force to find the Dragon Balls and take care of anyone or anything that gets in their way. The Ginyu Force is summoned and they depart for Planet Namek.
Meanwhile on Namek, Krillin takes Gohan to have his hidden powers unlocked by Guru, knowing that his huge potential would help fend off Vegeta. On the way, they are detected and confronted by Vegeta who tells them that his wish of immortality is the only way of defeating the Ginyu Force, which are the 5 enormous evil ki's that have just arrived on the planet. Our heroes reluctantly agree after Nail (a Namek) tells them that 3 wishes can be granted by the Dragon Balls, allowing everyone to have their wish granted. Ultimately, though, it's too late as the Ginyu Force arrives just in time to steal the Dragon Balls. They retrieve the seven balls and Captain Ginyu flies off to give them to Frieza, leaving the other four of the team to deal with Vegeta, Krillin, and Gohan.
First up is Guldo who has the ability to freeze time by holding his breath. Although Vegeta warns Krillin and Gohan beforehand about his abilities, they still become subdued and Vegeta is forced to step in and kill Guldo by beheading him, then blowing him up.
Next is the hulking brute, Recoome. Vegeta decides to fight him alone. Throughout this battle, Vegeta has his ups and downs, sometimes even surprising Recoome. During most of the battle though, Recoome has the upper hand. Vegeta wastes more energy and stamina than actually doing damage, and is beaten severely. Although Vegeta gives everything he has, Recoome is left nearly unscathed, although his armor is burnt off. Krillin and Gohan save Vegeta from Recoome's Eraser Gun, but Recoome easily confronts Krillin and kicks him hard, crippling him. Gohan, furious because Krillin has been hurt, begins to fight Recoome head on. He puts up more of a battle but doesn't do any damage to Recoome. Recoome jumps in the air breaking Gohan's neck and spine, he's left on the brink of death. A capsule spaceship is seen as it lands on the planet. The warriors are unaware of who has arrived.
Goku steps out of the capsule spaceship. Goku has finally arrived on Namek and gives Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta the remaining Senzu Beans, shocking Gohan and Krillin, who find it hard to believe that Goku would aid their once-enemy Vegeta. Goku then stands up to the powerful Recoome and effortlessly defeats him in one blow to the midsection thanks to his training in the ship. Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta all marvel at the extreme power Goku wields. At first, Burter and Jeice get cocky and believe it was a lucky shot, as the scouter registered Goku as being at a battle power of just 5,000. However, when Burter and Jeice attack Goku, he doesn't seem at all concerned with the two deadly members of the Ginyu Force. As Goku moves faster than anything they've seen, Gohan and Krillin become shocked more than ever.
As the remaining members of the Ginyu Force are stunned at Goku's abilities, Vegeta is the only one that senses something has changed in Goku and he wonders if Goku has become a legendary Super Saiyan!
The Captain Ginyu Saga is the name for roughly the middle third of the much larger Frieza Saga in Dragon Ball Z, according to FUNimation's naming conventions for the English language anime, making it the third saga of Dragon Ball Z. All major action in the Captain Ginyu Saga takes place on the Planet Namek. The saga deals mainly with the fight between Goku, Gohan and Krillin against Captain Ginyu.
Strictly speaking, the Captain Ginyu Saga should start several episodes before it does. When speaking of the manga, most fans put the start of the saga at the arrival of the Ginyu Force.
This saga immediately follows the Namek Saga and is followed by the Frieza Saga. This saga aired in Japan in 1990.
Goku vs. Burter and Jeice
Burter and Jeice continue their losing battle against Goku. After dodging all their attacks with little to no effort, he's able to sneak up behind Burter, who prides himself to be the fastest being in the universe. Outraged, Burter charges at Goku with an all-out offensive, with Jeice soon joining in. Goku easily dodges their hits, and with little effort, knocks Burter out (but not killing him), leaving Jeice the only member left standing. A merciful Goku tells Jeice that he should leave the planet. Jeice decides to take the offer and leaves the battle field, leaving his comrades behind. Vegeta doesn't hesitate to kill Burter (by snapping his neck), then killing Recoome (blasting him to bits). Vegeta tells Goku that he's too soft to actually be a Super Saiyan (as he said in the Namek Saga).
Meanwhile, Jeice arrives at Frieza's spaceship (Frieza is out to find the password for the Dragon Balls). He tells Captain Ginyu of their loss. Captain Ginyu, angered over the death of his men, flies to the battlefield to exact revenge (with Jeice coming along).
Back at the battlefield, Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and Krillin discuss what to do next. Although, Vegeta is concerned that Frieza had made his wish, Krillin points out that Frieza has not made his wish yet otherwise the sky would have turned black when the Dragon would have been summoned. They then sense that Frieza's Ki is flying towards Guru's place and it confirms Goku's suspicions that they do need a password to summon the Dragon. They have little time to act as Captain Ginyu and Jeice arrive. Goku tells Gohan and Krillin to leave and get the Dragon Radar from Bulma, then find the Dragon Balls. Captain Ginyu then sees that Goku's power reading is 5,000. He knows that Goku is hiding his true power (which he believes to be somewhere 90,000).
The battle against the Ginyu Force soon commences. Goku and Vegeta vs. Captain Ginyu and Jeice. Vegeta, however, flees the scene, leaving Goku to fend for himself.
Goku vs. Captain Ginyu
Captain Ginyu attacks an unguarded Goku, and elbows straight in the face. The battle begins with both equally matched. They're both hiding the bulk of their power (of which Captain Ginyu wants to expose, but Goku avoids doing).
Meanwhile, Vegeta flies over to Frieza's spaceship first and kills all of Frieza's men that were guarding the ship. He plans to wait for Gohan and Krillin to find the Dragon Balls for him, then he'll sneak up on them, kill them, and make his wish.
Back at the battlefield, Captain Ginyu and Goku still seem evenly matched. This is until Jeice fires an attack at Goku. Goku easily dodges, but leaves himself open to be caught by Captain Ginyu in a half-nelson. Jeice urges Captain Ginyu to break his back, but Captain Ginyu lets Goku go. Captain Ginyu then threatens Jeice that if he interferes with his fight, he'll kill him.
Captain Ginyu then tells Goku that he wants to see his perfect power. Goku decides to, and does the Kaio-ken. Captain Ginyu is shocked to find that Goku's power is 180,000 (Captain Ginyu's maximum is 120,000). Captain Ginyu then questions whether Goku can truly be a Super Saiyan.
Meanwhile, Frieza finally arrives at Guru's place, with Nail waiting for him. Nail refuses to talk about the password. All of a sudden, three Namekian warriors arrive to fight Frieza. Nail tells them to leave, but they refuse. Frieza then kills all three of them with ease.
Nail then fights Frieza in a remote location. It's obvious Nail has no chance against Frieza, but must stall time for Dende to deliever the password to the others.
Goku is Ginyu and Ginyu is Goku
Realizing that Goku is much stronger than himself, Ginyu signifigantly damages his own body. This shocks Goku as Ginyu begins what at first appears to be a new form of attack as Ginyu extends his arms and light emits from him to Goku. Goku is caught in a strange beam of light. Captain Ginyu has used his "metamorphosis" attack and switched bodies with Goku. Goku, now in Ginyu's body is shocked by what has happened as Ginyu, in Goku's body takes off with Jeice.
Krillin and Gohan arrive at Frieza's spaceship to locate the Dragon Balls and summon Shenron. However, nothing happens when they try to summon the dragon. Gohan and Krillin sense someone coming and hide. Jeice and Captain Ginyu (in Goku's body) arrive at Frieza's ship and wonder who dug up the Dragon Balls. Krillin mistakenly goes off to greet Goku, and he soon realizes this is not the Goku he knows. Krillin and Gohan then face-off against Captain Ginyu, while Vegeta witnesses the battle. After a brief battle, Captain Ginyu states that his fighting power should be around 180,000, which stuns Krillin and Gohan as he begins powering up.
After reaching Full Power, Captain Ginyu asks Jeice what his exact power level is, to which Jeice responds as 23,000, this surprises Captain Ginyu (as he thought it would be around 180,000). Goku (in Ginyu's Body) then states that Ginyu does not know how to utilize the power in Goku's body. After seeing their opportunity, Gohan and Krillin are able to lay several effective blows to Captain Ginyu which causes Captain Ginyu to call in his partner Jeice. As Jeice perpares to enter the battle, he is confronted by Vegeta, whochallenges him. Meanwhile, Nail is having difficulties of his own as he challenges Frieza, who leaves him on the brink of death.
Back on the battlefield, Goku, Krillin and Gohan then challenge Captain Ginyu as a team, who manage to outclass him a little. Meanwhile, Vegeta and Jeice are battling it out in Frieza's spaceship, until Jeices anger gets the best of him and bursts out of Frieza's spaceship. Within a matter of seconds, Jeice is destroyed by Vegeta with a large energy blast. After beating Jeice, Vegeta then states that he is the legendary Super Saiyan, to which Captain Ginyu refuses to believe. Vegeta attacks Ginyu in an all-out assault, and with a series of powerful blows is able to bring the Captain down. As Vegeta prepares to destroy Ginyu, Ginyu then plays his trump card as he prepares to switch bodies with Vegeta. After realizing what Ginyu is planning, Goku see's his opportunity and jumps in front of the beam, allowing Goku to return to his body.
After returning to their initial bodies, Ginyu prepares to make one last attempt to switch bodies once again with Vegeta and he once again uses his Body Change technique to switch bodies with Vegeta. Vegeta then rushes full speed to him and at the last minute, teleports in front of him, tricking Captain Ginyu, and lands a series of powerful attacks to Captain Ginyu, wounding him greatly. Attack after attack, Vegeta has the upper hand, until Captain Ginyu finally sees a chance to switch bodies with him. Ginyu almost succeeds although Goku sees a frog, catches it and throws it into the air, directly in the path of the beam of light. The result leaves Captain Ginyu in the body of the frog. Vegeta then states that now would be a good time to destroy Goku's team, but Goku however, knows Vegeta would not do this, as he would not get his wish from the Dragon Balls, not to mention that Vegeta knows that he'll need their help to defeat Frieza. Goku is then taken into Frieza's ship and he is put into the rejuvenation chamber so that he may be healed for the battle when Frieza arrives.
The Frieza Saga is the second major plot arc of the anime Dragon Ball Z (after the Captain Ginyu and before the Garlic Jr. Saga). In Funimation's naming conventions for the English language release of the anime, the Frieza Saga is broken up into three sub-sagas: the Namek Saga, the Captain Ginyu Saga, and the Frieza Saga. This article refers specifically to the events in the third sub-saga.
Nearly all of the Frieza Saga takes place on the Planet Namek. The main plot is the fight against Freeza by Krillin, Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo and Goku.
It has been speculated that the original Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama, originally intended to end the series with the Frieza Saga, with a major symbolic event which would provide closure to the series. However, despite some fan response that the series was losing momentum, the popularity of the series was high enough that the series continued.
In Japan, this saga aired in 1990 and 1991.
Fight against Frieza
With the fate of Namek at stake, Guru sends the young Namek Dende to give the important password to Krillin and Gohan that will summon Porunga, the Namekian Dragon.
Meanwhile, Frieza arrives at Guru's where he is met by some Namekian warriors, all of whom he kills except Nail, and fails at getting Guru to tell him the password. Just as Frieza is about to kill him as well, Nail warns Frieza that if Guru dies, the Dragon Balls will become useless. As a distraction to buy Dende more time, Nail takes Frieza to a field to do battle. Frieza is impressed that Nail's maximum battle power is 42,000, but he surprises Nail by claiming that his battle power is 530,000, but he tells him he doesn't plan to use his full power against him. He then easily overtakes and brutally injures Nail with no problem but rushes off to his ship when he realizes that the fight was a ruse to stall him so he will be unable summon the Dragon Balls before Gohan and Krillin, leaving Nail for dead.
As Dende finally reaches Krillin with the important message, they take the Dragon Balls from Vegeta whom had fallen asleep from exhaustion and head off to Frieza's ship. Dende uses the password to summon the Dragon, Porunga. Meanwhile, back on Frieza's ship, Vegeta awakens, suddenly sensing Frieza's approaching power level and to sees that the Dragon has already been summoned.
Gohan, Krillin, and Dende set out to make their wish, which is to revive Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. The Dragon informs them that he can only wish back one person at a time. Piccolo, with King Kai's help, communicates telepathically to Gohan and asks him to restore his life. His reasoning is that if he is resurrected, Kami will return to Earth and that will also bring back Earth's Dragon Balls, in effect allowing for the others to also be revived with a wish. Piccolo asks for the second wish to teleport him to Namek, wanting to exact revenge on Frieza for killing his people. Gohan, Krillin, and Dende agree to this, and make the wishes.
Vegeta arrives at the scene after the second wish is made. Since the first two wishes had already been used to bring Piccolo back to life and then to Namek, Vegeta wants to save the last wish of eternal life for himself. Just as Dende asks the Dragon, Guru dies and the Dragon Balls turn to stone. Vegeta's wish isn't granted, but worse yet, Frieza has arrived and is extremely angry that the Dragon Balls have already been used. Vegeta fights his former boss, gloating that he has become a Super Saiyan, but as Frieza shockingly realizes they are somewhat evenly matched, Vegeta abruptly tells him to transform and reveal his true strength. Frieza amusingly wonders how Vegeta knows this, and Vegeta tells him Zarbon spilled it out before. Frieza transforms into his second form, one that is even stronger than before, claiming that his power level has risen over a million. Vegeta, realizing that he underestimated Frieza's strength, is shocked.
Meanwhile Piccolo, who was just teleported to Namek by a wish, senses the fighting and heads to the battlefield. Along the way he sees the dying Nail, who informs him on what has been happening. He also requests that Piccolo fuse with him to be a greater challenge to Frieza. At first, Piccolo is reluctant, but after Nail assures him that his personality won't change by fusing, Piccolo decides to accept, increasing his strength and speed tremendously. Back on the battlefield Frieza's new power level is said by him to be over one million. He also tells Vegeta about the destruction of the planet Vegeta and his father. Vegeta simply scoffs at this, saying that he surpassed his father when he was a child. After fully transforming Frieza impales Krillin with his horns, who was trying to protect Dende, and tosses him to the sea. Gohan tries to save him but when Frieza stops him, an incredibly angry Gohan easily beats down Frieza and pummels him with many chi blasts. Despite Vegeta's shocked reaction, the attack isn't enough and Frieza recovers with little damage done. Luckily, Dende rescued Krillin out of the sea, telling Gohan that he is still alive. Angry that he was actually hurt by the attack, Frieza pounds Gohan who has now calmed down from his angered state, hurting him severely. Vegeta tries to attack when Frieza's back is turned, but it is completely ineffective and Gohan is left almost dead. Gohan is saved when Krillin launches a Destructo Disk at Frieza and cuts off a portion of his tail. Dende then uses this time to heal Gohan as Vegeta watches. It becomes revealed that Dende was the one who plucked Krillin out of the sea and healed him. Krillin continues to distract Frieza using many evasive maneuvers, such as the Solar Flare. Soon Gohan is healed and now stronger than ever due to his Saiyan blood line.
Just then Piccolo arrives, claiming that he can beat Frieza. Vegeta scoffs at Piccolo, claiming that reviving him was a waste of a wish. However, Vegeta learns that the Namekian who was easily killed by Nappa had now become powerful enough to challenge Frieza. The fight begins as Piccolo remains confident that he can take Frieza. Thanks to his fusion with Nail his power is slightly higher than that of Frieza's. Through much of the battle Piccolo has the upper hand, but Frieza transforms yet again into his third stage, earning yet another power increase. Piccolo, still confident that his speed is greater than Frieza's, is proved wrong when Frieza grossly outstrips him in both power and speed, and subsequently launches finger blasts at him that are too fast for him to dodge at all. Soon Piccolo is severely wounded. Gohan is furious at Piccolo's defeat and explodes in a bout of rage, revealing his hidden powers a second time as he attacks Frieza. Gohan then launches a giant ki wave that proves to be challenging for Frieza, until he deflects it back. Luckily Piccolo saves Gohan in the nick of time with a blast. Frieza realizes that Gohan is a Saiyan and that he and Vegeta are constantly getting stronger. Frieza now decides to begin a transformation that will reveal his true and strongest form. into his final and strongest form, his original state of being. Vegeta comes up with the idea for Krillin to injur him(Vegeta) until he is near to death and for Dende to heal him afterwards, increasing his power enough to become a Super Saiyan. Although Krillin is highly reluctant at first, he blasts Vegeta in the stomach, piercing him through. Because of Saiyan heritage, recovery from a near-death experience causes Vegeta to increase in strength significantly. While Frieza transforms, Dende heals Piccolo and reluctantly heals Vegeta. Vegeta becomes confident that he has become a Super Saiyan.
Frieza sees how everyone was defying death using Dende's healing, so he takes to the root of the problem. After transforming, he quickly kills Dende with a Death Beam, meaning the fighters will have no more chances to be healed. He tries to blast Gohan as well but Vegeta quickly saves him. A confident Vegeta decides to commence battle with Frieza with his newfound power. To his horror, no matter what Vegeta does he is no match and Frieza still has the upper hand throughout the entire battle. Vegeta actually sheds a tear in frustration when he realizes that the situation is hopeless. Frieza batters him mercilessly to the brink of death. Goku, still in the rejuvenation tank, awakens and realizes what is taking place and quickly rushes off to save his fellow comrades. As Goku arrives, Vegeta swallows his pride and tells Frieza that Goku is the legendary Super Saiyan that will kill him. Frieza gets angry and blasts a hole through Vegeta's heart. Before his death, with tears in his eyes, he tells Goku the truth of Planet Vegeta's destruction, how every Saiyan was forced to serve Frieza before most of them were killed, Goku's history as a Saiyan, and finally he asks Goku to take vengeance for all Saiyans. Goku buries Vegeta and, fueled with rage at Vegeta's death, begins to fight Frieza.
The battle between Frieza and Goku begins. They seem equal in power for some time in strength and speed. During the match, Goku seems to have clever ideas on how to fight and tricks Frieza several times. Goku used to his advantage the fact that Frieza needs to see his opponent and is unable to feel their energy. While Goku was under water during one attack, he used the Kamehameha wave as torpedoes to trick Frieza. Frieza then revealed that he was only using a fraction of his power, and then powers up to 50%, which turns the tables in Frieza's favour. Even while at Kaio-ken x10 Goku was being brutally beaten. Frieza claimed that he allowed Goku to think he had a chance, and even offered for Goku to replace Ginyu as his bodyguard. Goku refused, but after one rigorous attack after another, Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, and even King Kai began to see the situation as lost. Goku attempts to defeat Frieza by raising his power using a Kaio-ken x20 and blasts a powerful Kamehameha wave at Frieza, but it only leaves Frieza's hands slightly damaged. This does surprise Frieza The attack leavesGoku completely drained. Having no choice, Goku prepares the Spirit Bomb in a final effort to defeat Frieza. Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin step in to try and hold off Frieza while Goku gathers energy for the attack. Once the Spirit Bomb is finally finished and unleashed upon Frieza, it does significant damage to him, causing the Z Warriors to believe Frieza was finished killed. Krillin and Gohan take Goku and Piccolo away from the damage. The group began to celebrate, but quickly turned sour when Krillin saw Frieza standing on the top of a rock behind them.
Final battle
Enraged and surprised that Goku had such ability for a Saiyan, Frieza lashes out against the other warriors. He first decides to kill Goku. As he fires a Death Beam at the exhausted Saiyan, Piccolo jumps in the way of the blast and saves his life (however, in the manga, Frieza simply blasts at Piccolo with a Death Beam). Though it doesn't kill him, Piccolo is hurt very badly and falls to the ground unconscious, enraging Goku. Next, Frieza kills Krillin by making his entire body explode. Seeing his best friend killed causes Goku to erupt with rage. In a display of golden light the angry Goku reaches the height of emotional turmoil. His hair turns golden and his eyes turn green. He has now become a Super Saiyan, with has resulted in a tremendous power increase.. He yells at Gohan to take Piccolo, retrieve Bulm,a and take them to the ship that he traveled in and use it to head back to Earth.
Super Saiyan Goku and Frieza begin to fight, and Goku toys with him and starts treating him as if he was a rag doll. With no other options, Frieza decides that if he can't beat Goku, then he'll blow up Namek instead. He throws a ball of energy towards the planet's core, hoping to destroy the planet. However, Frieza realizes he held back too much power, and the planet only begins to crumble. Frieza then claims it will explode in five minutes and reveals that he can breathe in space. As the battle rages on, Frieza decides increase his power to 100%, this results in a physical muscle mass increase. Though this significantly increases his power level and allows Frieza to gain the upper-hand on Goku for a time, he is unable to sustain the increase in power. Goku realizes this, and uses it to his advantage.
Back on Earth, Kami and Mr. Popo have gathered all of the Dragon Balls and with King Kai's help they devise a plan to bring back all who were killed by Frieza.
Since the wish brings back Guru, who was killed by the grief of Frieza's killings, King Kai telepathically asks him to wish all of those on Namek, except for Frieza, back to Earth with the Namek Dragon, which still has one wish remaining. However, Goku intercepts their telepathic communication and requests that he be left behind on Namek as well and King Kai reluctantly gives in. King Kai notices that Super Saiyan Goku is no longer the Goku they used to know, he is now only acting on Saiyan instincts. Vegeta, who was also resurrected as well by the wish, is surprised to see that Goku had become a Super Saiyan shortly before he is teleported off of Namek.
With the entire planet empty except Goku and Frieza, they battle around the crumbling planet. Soon, Goku notices that Frieza is losing stamina too quickly to be a match for him. He then stops that fight and begins to leave, telling Frieza to train and come back for a rematch. Enraged, Frieza decides to release a Death Saucer that he can direct to attack Goku with. Goku easily outmaneuvers this attack. Frieza realizes that one is not enough and releases another Death Disc, attempting to outsmart Goku. Goku maneuvers at the last minute, blasting into the ground creating a blinding blanket of dust. Frieza is unable to detect energy without physically seeing it, so one makes its way to cut Frieza in half. Goku tries to warn him, but he is chopped into four pieces by the disc. As he is dying, Frieza begs Goku not to leave him like this. With Frieza begging for mercy, Goku eventually takes pity on him, and gives him some of his own energy. Frieza then explains that there is no way Goku is going to live, as the planet is about to explode and his ship is in no working condition. As Goku leaves, Frieza makes one final attempt to kill him, using the energy given to him to throw a wave of energy at him. Goku easily pushes the blast back at Frieza with his own energy, resulting in what appears to be the death of Frieza and flies away.
Knowing he will not reach his own ship in time, Goku searches for Frieza's and finds it in a crater. Goku, frustrated and desperate, realizes that he will not make it off of Namek as he watches its wreckage plummet into a lava filled chasm. Seconds later, Planet Namek disappears from the Universe in a colossal, blinding explosion.
Aftermath
On Earth, Dende heals Piccolo and realizes that he has merged with Nail. The Namekian Dragon Balls follows Guru to Earth, evading the explosion. As Guru is dying once more, he transfers his role as Senior Elder to Moori, a trusted Namekian village leader, so that the Dragon Balls won't die with him. Dende also informs Gohan that the Namekian Dragon Balls can also resurrect a deceased person more than once (unlike the Dragon Balls on earth). This is good news as it means that they can resurrect Krillin, Chiaotzu, and Goku, who had been killed before. Everyone is thrilled until King Kai reminds them that Krillin and Goku can't be resurrected because Namek was destroyed, and they would only appear in empty space and immediately die again. However, Vegeta suggests that they use a wish to transport their remains to Earth first.
Transferred to a new caretaker, the Namekian Dragon Balls are re-energized early. They are first used to transport Goku and Krillin's remains to Earth. However, Porunga reveals that he is unable to transport Goku's remains because he isn't actually dead, leaving everyone surprised who assumed he had died with the destruction of planet Namek. After the second wish is used to bring back Krillin, the final wish is made to bring Goku to Earth, Porunga then informs them that Goku refuses to come back. This leaves our heroes greatly perplexed, but arrive at the conclusion that Goku is coming home eventually, and they accept his absence. All, that is, except Vegeta, who leaves in a space ship to search the universe for Goku and the key to becoming a Super Saiyan. With one wish remaining, it is used to resurrect Yamcha.
Four months (one Namek year) later, the Namekian Dragon Balls are ready again. The first two wishes are to resurrect Tien and Chiaotzu, and the final wish is to transport the Nameks to a new Planet Namek that would have similar living conditions to their old planet. Gohan and Dende share a tearful goodbye as the Nameks disappear to their new home, and life on Earth returns to normal.
The Garlic Jr. Saga is the fifth saga in Dragon Ball Z series. This saga is filler material made solely for the anime (not present in manga). It occurs between the Frieza Saga and the Trunks Saga.
Garlic Jr.'s story is based on events of the movie "Dead Zone" ("Return my Gohan!!" in Japan). In Dead Zone, Garlic Jr. is defeated by Goku's four year old son, Gohan, showing Gohan's incredible power. This saga details Garlic Jr.'s return and his desire for revenge.
In Japan, this saga aired in 1991.
The Black Water Mist
Between the time of Dead Zone until the Garlic Jr. Saga, Garlic Jr. was trapped in the Dead Zone,but escapes imprisonment after the source of his power, the Makyo Star, comes close in axis to Earth. Garlic Jr. gathers his team of henchmen named the Spice Boys.
Garlic Jr. returns to Earth to take revenge on Goku and his friends for sending him to the Dead Zone. He gathers his team (The Spice Boys) and finds the Black Water Mist, a powerful formula that brainwashes all life on Earth to act like what could be described as vampiric as well as obeying Garlic Jr. and his minions. Life on Earth for the Z Warriors was just getting back to normal following the battle between Frieza and Goku on Namek, though Goku had not yet returned to Earth. If kept unchecked the Black Water Mist's effects will be irreversible after twenty-four hours. When Kami and Mr. Popo investigate, they are captured, shrunk down, and trapped in glass bottles by Garlic Jr.'s henchmen.
The battles during the Garlic Jr. saga take place on Kami's Lookout, where Krillin and Gohan fight Garlic Jr. and his team of Spice Boys. However, the rest of the Z Fighters who are on Master Roshi's island are not so lucky, having also been infected by the Black Water Mist. Master Roshi, Chi-Chi, Yamcha, Puar, Oolong, and Bulma all fall prey to Garlic Jr.'s evil plan and are transformed. A battle ensues between those transformed and those who escape the mist. Maron, Krillin, and Gohan are seriously outnumbered, and things look grim.
Piccolo is bitten by Yamcha and is seemingly affected by the mist. However, his arrival buys time for Krillin and Gohan to get Maron out and escape, and they all head to the Lookout to aid Kami, where they discover that he and Mr. Popo were imprisoned by Garlic Jr.
Battle on Kami's Lookout
With no other choice, Gohan and Krillin face off against the Spice Boys. Complicating matters is the Makyo Star - orbiting ever closer towards Earth, serving to amplify Garlic Jr. and his henchmen's already considerable power. When Krillin is damaged in the fight, Gohan powers up and obliterates two of the Spice Boys with powerful blasts. At this point, Piccolo is seen to be a rival and has presumably been turned into a slave of Garlic Jr. As Piccolo begins to attack Gohan, Krillin tries to intervene, only to be bitten by Piccolo and be taken over by the Black Water Mist himself. However, this is all a ruse. When Piccolo - who was immune to the Black Water Mist all along - bit Krillin, he whispered to him to act as if he was infected as well, so they could get in arm's reach of the bottles containing Kami and Mr. Popo. Krillin and Piccolo begin their assault against Gohan, and when Garlic Jr. tires of the show and instructs them to finish him off, they instead smash the bottles, releasing them Kami and Popo.
While Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo fight the Spice Boys and Garlic Jr., Kami and Mr. Popo travel deep inside the Lookout (where they must also pass through the Shinsenkai, which is where spirits Former Guardians of the Earth dwell after death) to find the Sacred Water, which is the only antidote to the Blackwater Mist and must be released through an exit at the bottom of the Lookout, so that it will spread over the entire planet before sunset, at which point the Blackwater Mist's effects would become permanent. The Guardians begin to damage Kami , as this happens Piccolo begins to dissappear (in the anime- he becomes transparent) during the battle with Garlic Jr. This is because the life of Kami and Piccolo are linked as was demonstrated in the Saiyan Saga. Garlic Jr. gains the upper-hand.
In the meantime, Spice and Vinegar manage to topple Krillin with ease and this ignites Gohan's anger once more, resulting in a chaotic battle between Gohan and the two henchmen at the same time. Gohan releases a seismic two-sided blast which makes both Spice and Vinegar explode at the same time in midair. As the battle progresses, Garlic Jr. reopens the Dead Zone, with Kami and Mr. Popo successfully being granted access to the Sacred Water after a battle of wills with the Guardians and nullifying the Black Water Mist's effect on Earth. No longer handicapped by Kami's pain, Piccolo regains the ability to fight, and he and Krillin fly up to meet Garlic Jr. and distract him. Gohan then fires a powerful Masenko into Makyo Star, destroying it and leaving an emaciated and powerless Garlic Jr. to fall prey to his Dead Zone once again, this time with no hope for return, doomed to spend an eternity in complete nothingness.
Aftermath
After the ordeal with Garlic Jr., Krillin announces that he and his girlfriend Maron are almost engaged. In order to make her happy he decides to get a Mermaid's Tear (a pearl). However, upon seeing the pearl, Krillin changes his mind and leaves the pearl to the nice fish who are protecting it. Maron (who is always quick to flirt with others) sees a handsome man in a sports car and takes off with him. Heartbroken, Krillin convinces himself it was for the best anyway.
During this saga, short scenes of Vegeta are shown as he journeys to space trying to find Goku (still somewhere in space at the moment, due to the events of the Frieza Saga) so he can learn how to become a Super Saiyan. At the end of the saga, Vegeta returns to Earth after his unsuccessful journey to find Goku in space. The disappointed Vegeta tends to keep to himself when he returns.
The Trunks Saga is the sixth saga of the Dragon Ball Z series. It features Frieza's arrival on Earth, his death by the hands of Future Trunks, and Trunks' warning about the Androids. The small saga contains eight episodes, and is placed between the Garlic Jr. Saga and the Androids Saga. The Trunks Saga is the shortest saga of the series. In Japan this saga aired in 1992.
Arrival and Plot
As many of the characters of Dragon Ball Z begin to resume a normal life on Earth, they are once again threatened. This time Frieza has returned, having survived his fight against Goku on Namek. Frieza has been cybernetically enhanced and is arriving to Earth with his father, King Cold. Gohan and the others attempt to rendezvous with Frieza and stop the tyrant, but by the time they reach him, he and his father have already been done away with by a mysterious young fighter, later revealed to be Future Trunks.
Trunks greets Frieza who is with his father King Cold and many minions. They had come to Earth in order to seek revenge upon Goku's loved ones. Trunks, then seventeen years old, did not look like much of a threat to Frieza, and he freely told him so. Frieza was then given three opportunities to kill Trunks, but the young Super Saiyan was able to block and dodge the attacks with ease (and kill all the minions Frieza had brought to Earth with his father) to great frustration of Frieza. Frieza becomes furious and fires his a large orange sun-like energy ball (the same attack he used to blow up Planet Vegeta) at Trunks. Trunks just catches the attack, after which Frieza detonates the blast with an energy wave (only in the anime, while in the manga Frieza never tried a planet-busting ki attack, and fired this blast immediately instead). Trunks remains unscathed and performs what he calls his Burning Attack to have Frieza dodge the blast, which is followed up by his sword (Shining Sword Attack). Frieza, first cut in half, is completely destroyed this time by being subsequently sliced into tiny pieces and then blown to dust in a blast by the hand of Trunks. Later his father King Cold is also killed by Trunks after attempting to trick Trunks by "borrowing" his sword but is quickly dispatched by Trunks.
The Z Warriors show up to discover this young man, but following Trunk's suggestion, they wait for the supposed coming arrival of Goku. When Goku arrives, Trunks and Goku leave to talk alone, and Trunks tells him his story of the bleak future where many of Goku's friends and family are killed by Androids. Also, his time travel to the past to change the events. He warns him of the upcoming threat of the Androids and where/when they will arrive and kill the Z Warriors. Goku learns that Vegeta is the father of Trunks, and Bulma is his Mother. He also tells Goku that he will die before the Androids can be defeated from a new virus that has no cure in the present, but which has been created in the future. Trunks gives Goku the antidote and warns him not to divulgue any details on his identity to the rest of the Z Warriors, before departing back to the future. Piccolo has heard the conversation in the distance with his enhanced Namekian ears, and tells the story to the others, without revealing anything that could endanger the birth of Trunks. Trunks later finds out, to his chagrin, that he interfered with the timeline unnecessarily. Goku, although miles away in space, was prepared to step in using his Instant Transmission technique (just as he did in Trunks' original timeline) when Future Trunks showed up, and killed Frieza himself.
The remainder of the Trunks arc shows the training that takes place by many of the Z Fighters in order to prepare for the arrival of the Androids. There's also an ordeal Goku and Piccolo face on Chi-Chi's request: a driving test in order to receive their driver's licenses. However, their inability to acquire a driver's license is the least of their worries when the day of the android invasion comes.
The Androids Saga is the seventh saga in the Dragon Ball Z series. It features Androids 16-19 who were built by Dr. Gero (a.k.a. Android 20) and who wreak havoc on the world. It occurs between the Trunks Saga and the Imperfect Cell Saga. In Japan this saga aired in 1992.
The plot of the Androids Saga is closely tied to that of Dragon Ball, the anime series that preceded Dragon Ball Z. A small organization known as the Red Ribbon Army sought to obtain the Dragon Balls. The Dragon Balls being the magical orbs used to summon the Dragon Shenron, who will grant his summoner one wish. In Dragon Ball the main hero of the series Goku was still a child and had embarked upon a quest to find the Dragon Balls himself. This led to a conflict between the Red Ribbon Army and Goku. As part of their plan to collect the Dragon Balls the Red Ribbon Army employed Dr. Gero as their head scientist. Dr. Gero then proceeded to construct a series of powerful Androids. Although in the original Dragon Ball anime Dr. Flappe was presented as the Androids creator. He is considered non-cannon as the manga did not indicate who created the Androids. Goku was eventually forced to destroy the Red Ribbon organization and the Androids in order to protect the Dragon Balls causing Dr. Gero to seek revenge upon Goku.
Dr. Gero goes unmentioned in Dragon Ball Z until the Trunks Saga in which the Future Trunks warns Goku that Dr. Gero survived the attacks to Red Ribbon when Goku was a child and has created a new set of Androids intent upon destroying the Earth. Future Trunks also reveals that Goku will die from an incurable heart disease before he has the chance to confront the Androids. Future Trunks then presents Goku with medicine from the future that will cure his otherwise fatal disease. He also mentions that Vegeta and Bulma were his parents, which shocks Goku and Piccolo (who hears the conversation between Goku and Future Trunks due to his exceptional ears and decides to keep it a secret). After delivering his doomsday warnings, Future Trunks returns to his own future in a time-machine.
Battle with Android 19 and Android 20
Android 19 and Android 20 (the latter being the synthetic-outfitted Dr. Gero).The Z Fighters go to the city where Future Trunks told them the Androids would appear. Being a few minutes later than Future Trunks had said and a different location, the Z Warriors were suspicious. They went down into the city to find them.
Yamcha made his way to one of the lower cities where he encountered the Androids. The Androids resembled that of a person, so they went undetected by Yamcha. Android 20 revealed his genuine state by grabbing Yamcha by the mouth, and draining the majority of his energy through his hand. There are two of them, Android 19 and Android 20. As Yamcha struggled to free himself, Android 20 punches through his chest, wounding him severely..
Goku and the others, who sensed Yamcha's life force disappearing, arrived shortly after, finding the Androids and Yamcha, who laid dying. Goku asked Krillin to evacuate with Yamcha and get him a Senzu Bean (which is a food known for both healing and restoring energy) before it was too late. They are eager to fight, however, Goku tells them that there are too many innocent people around. The Androids rationalize the problem by using eye lasers to destroy every living thing within the area. This infuriates Goku, who then throws a punch at the gray-haired Android 20. Android 20 seems unaffected by the impact. Goku and the others lead the Androids away from the city, to fight without harming anymore innocent bystanders. Yamcha, who was saved in time, leads Krillin and Bulma to follow the others to the new battlefield.
They come to a deserted, rocky area and Goku offers to fight first, but not long after the battle begins, he seems weakened. Goku is already experiencing some mild effects from the virus, but he fights Android 19 regardless. Goku turns into a Super Saiyan, which is one of Goku's transformations Android 20 was unaware of since he didn't observe the battles in Namek. Android 20 claims it was just a "Minor Setback" but that seems to be proven wrong when Goku engages in battle with Android 19, Androids 19 appears unable to defend himself. Punch after punch, and kick after kick, Goku seemed to have the upper hand, but his condition continued to deteriorate and soon his attacks were having no effect.
The fight goes on for a while until the Z Fighters notice that Goku was tiring out faster than he should. It was then that they realized that it was his heart condition associated with the virus. Android 19 saw the advantage and took it, nearly draining Goku dead. Goku was defenseless due to his illness until Vegeta interfered by blindsiding Android 19. Then eventually introducing himself and scolded Goku for fighting with a handicap, and kicked him towards Piccolo. The Z Warriors decide that Yamcha should take Goku home, while Vegeta takes over the fight.
Vegeta surprises everyone when he reveals his new found ability. Like Goku, Vegeta's eyes turn green and his hair becomes golden yellow. He was now a Super Saiyan. However, confident after defeating Super Saiyan Goku, Android 19 thought Vegeta would be a walk in the park. He was mistaken as Vegeta toys with him, allowing Android 19 to drain a substantial amount of energy until ripping off his Android arms and then blasting him with a Big Bang Attack which destroys Android 19. Piccolo ponders that Vegeta was even stronger than Goku. After the destruction of Android 19, Vegeta was naturally quite drained, but bluffed Android 20 into thinking he was still capable of taking him out as well. Android 20, seeing the death of Android 19 as proof, easily takes the bait and becomes fearful.
Search for Dr. Gero
Android 20 distracts Vegeta, and promptly flees the battle. Hiding out in various canyons and behind rock faces, Android 20 is stalked by the pursuing Z Warriors at a range of canyons. He hides, while Vegeta, who is becoming more and more frustrated, is unable to find the evasive Android. Android 20 only reveals himself after Vegeta throws a ki blast into the canyon, hoping to clear it away. Android 20 absorbs this through nodules on his hands and runs off into the distance again. Then Android 20 plans to absorb the energy of all the weaker fighters to power himself up and beat Vegeta. He reveals himself to Piccolo, holding him at his grasp and sucking out his energy until Gohan saves him. Piccolo then proposes to fight Android 20, and it is not long until Android 20 realizes, even with his newly absorbed energy, that he isn't even strong enough to defeat Piccolo, someone who should be nothing to him. Piccolo tells him that they have been training for their arrival, which shocks Android 20. The boy from the future (Trunks) then arrives, and is shocked, because the Androids that everyone has been fighting, are not the same ones he warned them about from his future. Naturally, this surprises everyone.
Vegeta realizes the future boy is his son because Piccolo calls out his name, which is the same name as his own son (Trunks). He also realizes how Future Trunks was able to become a Super Saiyan. Bulma promptly comes in an aircraft, but notices Android 20. While everyone's attention is diverted to Bulma, Android 20 takes the opportunity to escape but not before destroying the landscape with a powerful ki wave.
Bulma's aircraft is blown up but she and her young purple haired baby are saved by Future Trunks. Future Trunks is angry and shaken up that Vegeta, the one closest to them did not even try to save his own family. Bulma reveals that Android 20 is actually Dr. Gero, who must have rebuilt himself as a robot since his human body had become weak and frail. Future Trunks confronts Vegeta about the prior event, but Vegeta tells him that his family means nothing to him. Future Trunks persists, but Vegeta yells at him to get out of the way, and promptly flies off. The Z Fighters pursue him to his lab, but arrive too late and watch as Android 20 activates his most recent yet unstable creations, the siblings Android 17 and Android 18. Future Trunks wants to destroy them before they are activated, as Android 17 and Android 18 are the very Androids ravaging his own timeline. However, much to his dismay, Vegeta wants to fight them, as he believes they might be a good challenge to him. Dr. Gero knows of their inability to follow orders directly and built an emergency stop control to shut them down whenever they become out of control. However, since the Androids were so powerful, they were capable of easily relinquishing the remote from him. They make their way to another one of Dr. Gero's creations, and decide to unleash this incomplete monster going by the name, Android 16. Android 20 is furious, and yells at them with increasing intensity to not activate Android 16, as its awakening might kill them all. Android 17 and Android 18 do not listen to him and Android 17 betrays and effortlessly kills Android 20. Future Trunks at this point snaps and launches a full power ki blast in his Super Saiyan form at the Androids, destroying the whole lab and the surrounding mountainside. This does not damage them at all and Android 17 and Android 18 awaken Android 16, who states that his main purpose is to kill Goku.
Battle with Android 17 and Android 18
The Z Warriors are aware of these new enemies, and begin to confront them, more specifically Vegeta. Android 16 takes no part in the fight and opts to enjoy the sight of the surrounding wildlife creatures. Vegeta, eager to fully try out his new Super Saiyan abilities, challenges Android 18 to a fight. At first, it seems that Android 18 is no match, which suprises Future Trunks and the Z Fighters, but it soon becomes apparent that Android 18 is only toying with him. However, Vegeta doesn't know when to give up, and continues to fight and begins to get beaten. It becomes evident, that these two Androids don't tire out or run out of energy, as they were built with almost unlimited internal power sources. Eventually Android 18 ends the battle by breaking Vegeta's arm with a kick. Android 17 comes and tells the Z Fighters that no one should interfere in the match, or he'll fight them as well. Regardless, Future Trunks jumps in to help his beaten father, but is taken out with one hit from Android 17. The others, having no choice, rush at them as well only to be taken out without much effort. Vegeta's determination doesn't pull through when Android 18 renders him unconscious. This leaves only Krillin, who did not fight due to fear, unscathed.
Krillin attempts to reason with the Androids that Goku had done nothing to them and that going after him would be wrong. Android 17 explains to Krillin that finding Goku is a game. Android 16 also said that he was programmed to kill Goku. Then Android 16 and Android 17 go off to find Goku but not before telling Krillin that if anyone else wants to face them again, they would gladly accept a rematch. Android 18 then kisses Krillin and flies off. Krillin wonders if the Androids are as evil as Future Trunks warned but puts that aside and quickly heals the others with the remaining Senzu Beans. Vegeta gets back to his feet and dusts himself off. His pride keeping him from admitting his inferior power, he flies off angrily. Future Trunks realizes that the Androids in this time period are far stronger than their counterparts in his own time, as he was able to fight them evenly for a time there. Piccolo comes to a realization that they don't have enough time to train, the only way for him to get strong enough is to become one being with Kami (in a similiar manner to which he merged with Nail in the Frieza saga). He doesn't admit any of this to the others though, and tries to fool them into thinking he is still the evil King Piccolo by making idle threats and flying off. Krillin is not fooled though, and instantly makes the determination that Piccolo is going to Kami's Lookout to fuse with him. He would then become one with Kami as they once were.
The Imperfect Cell Saga is the eighth saga in the anime Dragon Ball Z. It involves Cell in his Imperfect Form and mainly shows his attempts to absorb Android 17 and Android 18, and the Z Fighters' attempts to stop him.
In Japan this saga aired in 1992.
A New Threat
Piccolo arrives a the Lookout and Kami already knows what he came for. Kami is unsure of whether to proceed with the fusion but ultimately agrees, not because of the Androids, but another greater threat to Earth that has already been there for four years. Piccolo also insists they are not uniting in the same way that they split in two, that Kami is only to serve as a power boost for him. They rejoin and regain the identity that they lost long ago as well as Kami's wisdom and knowledge. Piccolo heads for the area where the evil disturbance he sensed came from. When Kami disappears, the Dragon Balls and Shenron cease to exist. This is a problem that is later solved. With the knowledge of the new creature, Piccolo goes to investigate the threat.
Krillin calls Capsule Corp. to tell Bulma that they are moving Goku to Kame House and Bulma tells them of a shocking discovery, another time machine that looks like the same one Future Trunks came in. Future Trunks is surprised because there is only one time machine in existence which is the one he has in his pocket capsule. She faxes over a picture of the other time machine and Future Trunks and Gohan go to meet and examine it. When they get to the place where the picture was taken, Future Trunks confirms that it is his machine. However, it looks aged with moss and had damage to the dome, showing that someone or something blasted its way out. Soon Gohan discovers an exoskeleton of some disgusting looking creature, and Bulma find eggshells. Soon, all the Z Fighters sense strange and familiar power levels from far away. There is also a news report displaying an empty local suburban district, Gingertown which had a population of 15,000 has completely vanished. All the news report shows, is scattered clothing everywhere and signs of a struggle.
The creature, who is the source of the power levels, Future Trunks' aged time machine, and the disappearances finally reveals himself as a hideous humanoid creature with insectoid qualities. The creature explains how the people of Gingertown all disappeared; by sucking the bio matter of a human with his unique tail, reducing him to nothing in front of Piccolo's eyes. Piccolo instantly confronts him, and they fight. Meanwhile, Android 16 detects two enormous powers fighting with his power radar, and tells the other two that one of the powers is equal to Android 17 himself. Android 17 disregards this and believes that Android 16's power radar is broken and they drive off, foreshadowing things to come.
Piccolo's strength is clear in this fight, he completely dominates the creature but is stunned with surprise when it produces a Kamehameha wave towards him. Distracted, the being uses his tail on Piccolo's arm and it is absorbed into a sagging mound of flesh. Piccolo admits defeat while asking the creature who it is and how it's origin. The monster then goes on to reveal that its name is Cell, and that is was created by Dr. Gero as the perfect fighting android made up of the cells of the universe's strongest warriors. However, Dr. Gero saw the plan to create the ultimate bio soldier was taking too long so he abandoned the project. However, the super-computer in charge of the project continued the work secretly. A special robot was created to capture the gene samples of Goku, Vegeta and Piccolo when they were fighting on Earth; Frieza and King Cold's genes were captured when they came to Earth and were killed by Future Trunks. Many others such as the Z Warriors and their foes fell into that category and Cell had many of their strongest techniques and abilities. Future Trunks's genes were not collected though, as enough Saiyan samples were collected.
Imperfect Cell reveals his most disturbing fact, that his true purpose was to absorb Android 17 and Android 18, which would allow him to reach his Perfect Form. With the Earth's low population in his future timeline, and Android 17 and Android 18 destroyed, Imperfect Cell decided to steal Future Trunks' Time Machine by killing Future Trunks himself and come back to this time, to a fresher planet with more victims where he can absorb their power and Android 17 and 18 being available to reach his perfect state. Piccolo at this point thinks he has enough information and reveals that he was bluffing defeat the entire time by regenerating his arm back. Despite Imperfect Cell absorbing a lot of energy from Piccolo's arm, he realizes that he is yet no match for Piccolo and his situation is only made worse when Future Trunks, Krillin and Tien arrive on the scene. Imperfect Cell recognizes Future Trunks as the boy he killed in his own time line, and realizes that Future Trunks must be from yet another alternate time line. Cell uses the Solar Flare technique to blind everyone and runs away, masking his power level to be undetectable by the others. Just then Vegeta, sensing a great ki, arrives and is shocked when he realizes it comes from Piccolo. Piccolo explains the situation to Vegeta and the others, and Vegeta is angry that someone else has surpassed him, the Legendary Super Saiyan, in power. He then vows to reach beyond the limits of a Super Saiyan and flies off. Future Trunks and Krillin, leave to find and destroy the Imperfect Cell that is probably growing in the current timeline to prevent another Imperfect Cell later. Meanwhile, Piccolo and Tien search desperately for Imperfect Cell, knowing that he has hidden his ki and is getting stronger by absorbing more victims.
Piccolo vs. Android 17
Back in the mountain region, Goku has to be moved because the Androids are joyriding their way up there in a van. Goku is moved to Master Roshi's house. The Androids reach Goku's home and find that it is completely empty, so they proceed the next likely place for him to be, Kame House.
Back near Dr. Gero's laboratory, Future Trunks and Krillin discover a secret laboratory hidden underground, where Cell is presumed to be growing still infantile and weak. However, in the laboratory, they discover blueprints, which are the design specs of Android 17. Future Trunks eager to take the opportunity to find a weakness in the androids, takes it and he and Krillin both incinerate the baby Cell and the master computer with a ki blast. Krillin then destroys the laboratory they were in. However, on the way to Capsule Corporation, Future Trunks asks for Krillin to go alone, saying that he will try and train with his father to surpass Super Saiyan as well. Krillin wishes him luck, and both part ways.
Meanwhile, Chi-Chi goes to check up on Goku when she finds him awake, looking out the window. Goku and the others (Chi-Chi and Master Roshi) exchange heartfelt greetings that he is fully awake again, and Goku explains that he overheard everyone talking about the situation while he was asleep. He then says his goodbyes and uses Instant Transmission to teleport to where the Z Fighters were (an aircraft in which to find Imperfect Cell because he always knows the Z Fighters are coming by their ki and hides himself.) After everyone is happy that Goku is well again, Goku himself states that in his current state, he is no match for either the Androids or Imperfect Cell. This is why he plans to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Gohan, which will allow him to train for an entire year inside, while only one day passes outside in Earth and surpass Super Saiyan. He leaves with Gohan, and also approaches Vegeta and Future Trunks to tell them about it. Future Trunks tells Goku that Vegeta has been standing on a rock cliff for three days straight without moving whatsoever. Goku is impressed that Vegeta already knows a little about how to surpass the Super Saiyan, and travels to him to tell him about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Vegeta is surprised and wants to go first. Goku tells him to go with Trunks, since the Hyperbolic Time Chamber only supports up to two people at once. At Kami's Lookout, Vegeta and Future Trunks both enter the Room and Goku and Gohan begin a day of waiting.
Almost a full day has passed. Piccolo is at the Kame House, watching the news and cursing Imperfect Cell and his deeds while the others are taking a nap. However, suddenly Android 16, Android 17 and Android 18 arrive in front of Kame House. The shocked Piccolo is left wondering whether this is bad timing or a blessing from heaven. He then wakes up the others to confront the androids. Eventually both Android 17 and Piccolo decide to fight on one of the abandoned islands nearby. Android 17, thinking that Piccolo has the same power as last time, clearly underestimates him and is knocked down easily. Then both fighters get serious in their battle and go all out. They are evenly matched in power, but with Piccolo gaining a slight advantage with his new techniques. Meanwhile, Imperfect Cell notices Piccolo's huge ki and deduces that he must be fighting the Androids to be exerting so much power. He then rushes at full speed to them, finally seeing a chance to attain his perfect form. After intense fighting, Android 17 states that Piccolo will not be able to keep up with him forever, as he doesn't have infinite stamina. Piccolo states that before that happens, Android 17 will make a mistake. They are about to continue fighting when suddenly Piccolo notices and looks in horror at a nearby rock with Imperfect Cell on top of it. The other Androids look in confusion to what is happening and Piccolo and Android 16 notices Imperfect Cell's new incredible power from absorbing thousands of people.
Imperfect Cell's Arrival
Immediately after Imperfect Cell interrupted the battle between Android 17 and Piccolo, he begins to view the other Androids. He recognizes Android 17 and Android 18, but stops short when he sees Android 16. He shrugs it off and thinks it is likely an old model. Android 17, however, does not recognize Imperfect Cell, and asks him to stop interrupting the battle. Piccolo is shocked that the Androids do not even know who Imperfect Cell is, and yells at Android 17 and Android 18 about how Imperfect Cell's purpose is to absorb them. Imperfect Cell takes this patiently and asks the Androids to allow themselves to be merged with him so that he can become the powerful being that Dr. Gero dreamed of. Android 17 does not take the offer though, and Imperfect Cell begins to power up to an unparalleled power, showing off how many lives he absorbed. He then beats Android 17 to a pulp to weaken him and then absorb him by force. Piccolo eventually interferes, and launches his Light Grenade attack at Imperfect Cell, but Cell is not fazed by it. Imperfect Cell then breaks Piccolo's neck with a strong punch and launches a ki wave through Piccolo's stomach. He then throws him into the sea. Gohan, sensing that Piccolo's ki had disappeared, goes on a rage and has to be held down by Goku to prevent him from heading to the battle field. Also, Tien comes to the island where the battle is taking place, to watch the events but is powerless to stop it.
At this point, Android 16 decides to enter into the battle. Android 18 asks what he can possibly do but Android 16 reveals that his power is equal with Imperfect Cell's, which shocks her furthermore. Android 16 then reveals that he enjoyed traveling with them because they never killed or hurt humans or animals for pleasure. He then interrupts Imperfect Cell and begins to fight with him. At first Imperfect Cell seems to land many blows on Android 16, and even tries to absorb him, but he fails because Android 16 is a completely mechanical model. Android 16 then reveals his secret techniques, which almost overcomes Imperfect Cell. Android 16 throws him to the ground and launches a Hell's Flash attack directly at Imperfect Cell, which hurts Imperfect Cell badly but fails to kill him. Android 17, seeing Android 16's power, gets incredibly cocky and plans to finish off Imperfect Cell despite Android 16's repeated warnings to both Androids 17 and 18 to run away. He gets caught off guard and is absorbed by Imperfect Cell, who was hiding underground behind him. As Android 17 is sucked through Imperfect Cell's body, the other Androids and Tien watch as the monstrous Cell begins his hideous transformation to his next form.
Cell is now in his Semi-Perfect Form. His first act is to test out his power. He does this by attacking Android 16 with a blast that severely damages the android. By doing this, he gets a taste of what his power can do and he has taken out the only being preventing him from absorbing Android 18. After Android 18 refuses to join him, he tries to persuade her by using Android 17's voice, saying that he enjoys being a part of Semi-Perfect Cell. She doesn't fall for his trick and finally threatens to detonate her self destructing bomb, but Semi-Perfect Cell quickly informs her that while she's charging the blast, Semi-Perfect Cell will have enough time to stop and absorb her.
Finally, Tien has had enough of just watching Semi-Perfect Cell torment others and decides to step in and try to stop Semi-Perfect Cell. He manages to stall Semi-Perfect Cell with his new technique, the Neo Tri-beam, while the Androids find a place to hide.